Doepfer Theremin

[Foghorn]

I can't seem to find much info about the Theremin module.
What I was wondering about, is can you use other sorts of antennas?
.
I mean it is called the Theremin voltage source.
I am just getting tired of how the whip antenna that came with it responds.
I can envision a BNC cable going to some sort of coil, or an antenna of a different shape.
An old 60''s like TV antenna
Or a Dipole corner reflecting antenna.
Maybe put a ground plane somewhere around the whip that came with it.
You can see that I do not know much about antennas or RF stuff in general.
I just want to improve it as an instrument.
I did find out that Quadratt can improve it's response by reducing the range of it's CV output.
I am just wondering what others have done.



.. Gee, why can I find more info about this, including threads on muff by using google instead of the search here?
I will have to try it installed in its own case.
An EP96 for instance.
Has anyone noticed a difference with different PSUs?

[Phitar]

Don't have one of these yet but was certainly thinking of getting at least one. Doepfer takes a realistic approach to the antenna question. On one hand they say don't swap the antenna due to the circuit being finely tuned for the stock antenna, but in the manual it tells you how to tweak the null circuit if you do and can't get decent response with your new antenna.

You could certainly try a few different shapes or styles. Shouldn't hurt anything. Just might not work like you hoped. Due to the low capacitance tuning of the receiver I doubt anything with long lead wires would work.

Surely Dcramer hit these roadblocks when setting up his touchless system. Maybe PM him about possible solutions or lessons learned?

Curious also what issues you are having since I was about to order one.

[Dcramer]

HArK! Is dat mah ears ringing?

Nah just tinnitus again

The most important thing I found was that each antenna needs to be as far away from electronics as possible, then you can increase the sensitivity which is when they really shine. I’ve got mine mounted upside down in a skiff in front of my rack, angled forward to keep them away from patch cables.
Oddly, I found that they needed to warm up, and it could take up to 30 min for their sensitivity to maximize.

I’ve got four now...and I think I’ll add another

[aragorn23]

I've managed to get a slightly more linear response from my A-178's by mixing the raw signal and an attenuated inverted signal together in a precision adder. It's not quite an expo-lin solution, but it does seem to have the desired effect.

[Dcramer]

I've managed to get a slightly more linear response from my A-178's by mixing the raw signal and an attenuated inverted signal together in a precision adder. It's not quite an expo-lin solution, but it does seem to have the desired effect.

Cool, I’ve experimented with the exact same idea and the Disting has an algorithm that should work as well

[Phitar]

Great info folks! Like I said I already had plans to get one of these. Was more trying to decide on one or two. Had one in the cart and went ahead and dropped the dime for it. Figured if I can get one to work well might get another. I have no real interest in recreating a Theremin as there are Moogs that do that quite well. More interested in the CV and gate control possibilities. Also ordered a few isolated BNC connectors so I can experiment with homebrew antennae. We'll see... Only thing nagging me right now is... If the null adjust pot on the module needs tweaking, how the hell to do so without your freaking tweaking hand messing with your "calibration"?

Foghorn... Sorry I feel like I'm stealing your thread here.